The stranger following behind me on the stairs bumped into me, but it wasn’t their fault. The wall ahead of me, the wall of a likely art hoarder than art collector, literally stopped me mid-step climbing the steps towards the Old Masters Collection. The purple wall was covered entirely, arranged in neat rows by similar sizes of seemingly one period of art, but in all sorts of forms: still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and narrative paintings. It was like a Pinterest board of Old Masters paintings come to life, and it was magnificent.

One of the many benefits of any travel is you’re exposed to new ideas and methods you’ve never seen before. Often you’re returning home renewed and inspired, and perhaps even itching to implement changes to your surroundings. I’ve made gallery walls, many, many times, but after visiting the Staedel Museum in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, I’ll never look at them the same way again.

It is important that decor is always meaningful, and there isn't anything that's displayed just because it matches or just because it fills the space. Actually I enjoy that I still have space to grow the collection on the right-hand side. The benefit of the St. Petersburg Hanging Method is that you can fit more pieces than you expect.

I would have not found this inspiration without visiting the Staedel Museum in Frankfurt and I have been back several times since. I hope you can make it there on your visit to Frankfurt, and when you see the purple wall leading to the Old Masters, think of me. For more ideas on what to see, eat, and do in Frankfurt, click here.

Have you ever redecorated your home after seeing something while traveling? I'd love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below.